Quran Universe
9:96

يَحۡلِفُونَ لَكُمۡ لِتَرۡضَوۡاْ عَنۡهُمۡۖ فَإِن تَرۡضَوۡاْ عَنۡهُمۡ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَرۡضَىٰ عَنِ ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلۡفَٰسِقِينَ

Yahlifoona lakum litardaw AAanhum fain tardaw AAanhum fainna Allaha la yarda AAani alqawmi alfasiqeena

They swear to you so that you might be satisfied with them. But if you should be satisfied with them - indeed, Allah is not satisfied with a defiantly disobedient people.

Word by word
  1. يَحۡلِفُونَThey swear
  2. لَكُمۡto you
  3. لِتَرۡضَوۡاْthat you may be pleased
  4. عَنۡهُمۡۖwith them
  5. فَإِنBut if
  6. تَرۡضَوۡاْyou are pleased
  7. عَنۡهُمۡwith them
  8. فَإِنَّthen indeed
  9. ٱللَّهَAllah
  10. لَا(is) not pleased
  11. يَرۡضَىٰ(is) not pleased
  12. عَنِwith
  13. ٱلۡقَوۡمِthe people
  14. ٱلۡفَٰسِقِينَ(who are) defiantly disobedient
At-Tawbah · 9:96Madinah

People may be satisfied with you; Allah may not.

Whose approval actually counts

Aiming at the wrong judge
the oathto please people
may win
people's approvalfor a while
Allah's approvalnot won this way
Who you are really answering to
if they are happyI am fine
if He is pleasedthat is what counts

The hypocrites swore so that the believers would be pleased with them. Ibn Kathir explains: even if the believers forgave them, Allah is not pleased with those who rebel against His obedience. Fisq, he adds, means deviation.

Your manager accepts your explanation. Your parents stop asking. Your friends say no worries. Everyone is fine with you, and you feel relieved. The verse asks a quieter question: is Allah pleased?

Once people are satisfied, the issue is closed.

Being cleared by people is not the same as being right with Allah.

Try this

Before one decision today, ask: would this please Allah, not just the people around me?

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 9:94)

They (the hypocrites) will present their excuses to you (Muslims), when you return to them. Say "Present no excuses, we shall not believe you. Allah has already informed us of the news concerning you. Allah and His Messenger will observe your deeds. In the end you will be brought back to the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen, then He (Allah) will inform you of what you used to do. (94)They will swear by Allah to you (Muslims) when you return to them, that you may turn away from them. So turn away from them. Surely, they are Rijs (impure), and Hell is their dwelling place – a recompense for that which they used to earn (95)They (the hypocrites) swear to you (Muslims) that you may be pleased with them, but if you are pleased with them, certainly Allah is not pleased with the people who are Fasiqin (rebellious)(96)

Exposing the Deceitful Ways of Hypocrites

Allah said that when the believers go back to Al-Madinah, the hypocrites will begin apologizing to them.

قُل لَّا تَعْتَذِرُوا لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكُمْ

(Say "Present no excuses, we shall not believe you."), we shall not believe what you say,

قَدْ نَبَّأَنَا اللَّهُ مِنْ أَخْبَارِكُمْ

(Allah has already informed us of the news concerning you.) Allah has exposed your news to us,

وَسَيَرَى اللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ

(Allah and His Messenger will observe your deeds.) your actions will be made public to people in this life,

ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

(In the end you will be brought back to the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen, then He (Allah) will inform you of what you used to do.)

Allah will inform you of your deeds, whether they were good or evil, and will recompense you for them. Allah said that the hypocrites will swear to the believers in apology, so that the believers turn away from them without admonishing them. Therefore, Allah ordered disgracing them by turning away from them, for they are,

رِجْسٌ 

(Rijs) meaning, impure inwardly and in their creed. Their destination in the end will be Jahannam,

جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ

(a recompense for that which they used to earn.) of sins and evil deeds. Allah said that if the believers forgive the hypocrites when they swear to them,

فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَرْضَىٰ عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْفَاسِقِينَ

(certainly Allah is not pleased with the people who are Fasiqin.) who rebel against the obedience of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. 'Fisq' means 'deviation'.